


Wizards are Pansies, Shānnarō!

by Prodigalsan



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Naruto
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crossover, Gen, Gen Work, Like, Magic and Chakra, Not Beta Read, Not to be taken seriously, Self-Indulgent, Wandless Magic, experimental fic, really - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-23
Updated: 2017-07-04
Packaged: 2018-11-17 22:06:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11277726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Prodigalsan/pseuds/Prodigalsan
Summary: Right after making chūnin, Haruno Sakura is assigned a long-term mission to be an assistant nurse to a certain Hogwarts healer in preparation for a certain tri-school tournament. The job seems easy enough—that is, too easy. Who knew that wizards could be such weak pansies? Shānnarō!(cross-posted from FFN)





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a cross-post from FFN. It's received quite a bit of attention (shockingly enough), and I felt really bad because I never really intended to take it seriously. However, I got back into Harry Potter recently, so I decided to give this story another shot. I won't be updating on FFN anymore, though. That site makes me angry for some reason. Perhaps it reminds me too much of my teeny-bopper days LOL
> 
> When I started this fic, I mentioned that I'm not an avid Sakura fan, but I like her well enough to have entertained this idea. I'm still not sure about taking this seriously or making it epic in any way, so it might be best if you guys don't take this _too_ seriously either. I just wanted to write about Sakura being in the Tri-Wizard Tournament as a nurse, since I haven't seen or read anything like this when I first published this story.
> 
> Last note, the title is meant to be a joke. I've a reviewer on FFN who took it too seriously and started lecturing me on it being a slur, and how it doesn't make sense since a pansy is a flower, and so is a cherry blossom (which is Sakura's namesake). It's _meant_ to be stupid, though I would never use the term pansy, myself. I just felt that it would be something Sakura would say since, for all her growing skill, she's still a child. This wasn't supposed to be an issue, but it bothered me enough to point it out. 
> 
> Now that that's out of the way, please enjoy the story. But not too much. LOL

When Sakura received a summons from the Hokage just a day after her promotion to chūnin, warning bells rang in her head. What could her master want? Did she want to train her a bit more? Did she— _Kami_ forbid—want to take back her promotion? Could that even happen? Sakura pondered this as she followed the ANBU that was sent to get her. She looked at the masked shinobi and wondered, for a moment, if she was being arrested.

She... _wasn’t_ , right?

Before she knew it, there was a door in front of her, and it was being opened. She blinked at Shizune’s smiling face, almost missing Tonton’s greeting snort. She then turned her attention to the Hokage sitting at her desk. She didn’t bother looking up from the papers in her hands as she spoke.

“Ah, Sakura. You’re here.” Tsunade began. “Come in.”

Sakura walked in, not bothering to hide the confusion on her face as she stared at her teacher. She walked closer to the desk before asking, “You called for me, Hokage-sama?”

“Indeed.” The Hokage finally looked up from her papers. “I know this is a bit sudden, but I am assigning you on a mission.”

Sakura blinked. Well, it wasn’t as if she didn’t expect to be assigned a mission eventually after her promotion to chūnin. It’s just, well. Hadn’t she just been promoted _yesterday_?

But despite her thoughts, the pink-haired kunoichi didn’t want to seem like she was being wishy-washy. The old Sakura might have acted out, but the Sakura now knew how to act and when. She postured herself properly and nodded. “Understood, Hokage-sama. What do I need to do?”

The busty Hokage suddenly sighed, and it made Sakura stiffen. Okay, _that_ never meant anything good. She was about to say something when Tsunade beat her to it, “Before we get to that, I just want to inform you that this going to be a long-term mission. It will take nine months, ten at most. Are you still willing to take it?”

She actually had a choice? Sakura thought about this carefully. The Hokage wouldn’t have summoned _her_ specifically if it was a mission that she could easily decline. Most likely, her master thought that she was the most suitable kunoichi for the job. As flattering as that was, she just wasn’t sure if she was ready. And nine, _ten_ months? Could she handle being away from the village, her _family_ for that long?

But Sakura squashed those insecure thoughts and berated herself, the same way Tsunade would whenever the older woman caught her saying such pathetic things. She was a _kunoichi_ —a shinobi of Konoha. She wasn’t going to back down so easily. She was reliable, _strong_. She wasn’t weak.

Not _useless_.

“ _Shisho_ ,” She began, gazing into the Hokage’s brown eyes determinedly. “Please tell me what I have to do.”

There was a slight twitch at the side of the Hokage’s painted lips. She nodded at Sakura and grabbed a folder. She handed the newly-appointed chūnin the folder, but before Sakura could open it, Tsunade started speaking.

“Bring in the client, Shizune.”

“Yes, Hokage-sama!”

Sakura watched as Shizune left the office with Tonton, obviously off to fetch whomever had requested the mission. She looked back to her master when Tsunade started speaking again.

“This mission is going to be a special C-rank; very low chance of combat, and even then confrontation with another shinobi is unlikely. It’s also going to be a long one, and its location is very far—far from the Elemental Countries.” She began to explain. At Sakura’s frown, she expounded, “What do you know of _wizards_ , Sakura?”

That made the girl blink. Okay? “Well, all I know is that they’re people who mostly rely on their spiritual energies to use as tools or weapons. If I remember correctly, they called it _magic_. Since they forego cultivating their physical energies, most cannot channel this spiritual energy properly without using a medium, like an object.” She answered at the top of her head, vaguely remembering what she read in a scroll in the library one day. She had been bored then, so she read up on all kinds of people. Wizards, included.

 _‘Though there really wasn’t much information about them,’_ She thought.

The Hokage seemed satisfied with her answer. “You’re familiar with the way they work, then. That’s good. It’ll help you on this mission. However, information on wizards isn’t what you need. It’s your intelligence and healing abilities that are needed, and that is exactly why I chose you for this mission.”

Before Sakura could ask what she meant, the door opened to reveal Shizune, a stern-looking brunet and... an old, bearded man.

“Please come in, _Dumbledore-san_ , _Snape-san_.” Shizune bowed slightly, gesturing for him to walk inside.

“Why, thank you.” Came the old man’s reply, though it was said strangely. Were these men from outside the Elemental Countries?

Something at the back of her mind berated her—well, _duh_.

“Good morning, Dumbledore-san, Snape-san. This is Haruno Sakura, and she’s going to be the one to take your long-term C-rank mission.” Tsunade greeted, nodding at the robed men. She turned her gaze back to Sakura and gestured towards the old man, “Sakura, this gentleman here is Albus Dumbledore, your client. He owns a school that’s apparently going to host a tri-school tournament, and he has reached out to us to ask for healing assistance for said event. Your skills in healing, as well as your fast learning ability, make you perfect for this role.”

“My, she is quite young.” The stern-looking man suddenly said, drawing their attention. His tone was bordering on skepticism. “You are certain that this young... _lady_ is skilled enough to assist our healer? She looks barely out of school.” The man eyed the kunoichi distastefully, more specifically the _pinkness_ of her hair.

Sakura resisted the urge to clench her fist and punch him all the way to Suna.

 _‘What’s with this asshole?’_ She growled in her head.

Tsunade also didn’t seem to appreciate the man belittling her apprentice, but she managed to hide her annoyance well. “Sakura here is my apprentice. _My_ own skills in the medical arts are unmatched, and Sakura has shown great potential in becoming a truly formidable medic nin. She’s very intelligent and can learn your herbalism techniques easily.”

The dark-haired man scowled, but he didn’t say anything more. Sakura was a little disappointed; she would have wanted a reason to bash his greasy head.

“Now, now, Severus, there’s no need to be so _snippy_. I’m sure Ms. Haruno is skilled and well-trained enough for this mission.” Said the old man good-naturedly to his companion. His eyes turned to her, and Sakura guessed he seemed friendly, enough. The twinkling eyes made her look anywhere other than his eyes, though. Can’t be too sure if he was capable of _genjutsu_ or something similar.

“Since this mission is going to take place in a very far location, I’m going to require you to send me a report every month. I’ve assigned Hatake Kakashi to retrieve your reports, seeing as he had been your instructor and you’d be more comfortable with him. In case that he is unavailable, I will send my ANBU.” Tsunade said, resting her chin on her intertwined fingers.

Sakura turned to face her and nodded. “Yes, Hokage-sama!”

Tsunade nodded back. “You’ll leave with our clients in a few hours. I suggest you pack whatever you might need, though I am told that everything else should be provided by Dumbledore-san.” She eyed the old man, as if daring him to refute her statement.

If he was bothered by her slight glare, Dumbledore didn’t show it. Instead, he beamed, “Of course. Ms. Haruno is in good hands! Whatever she might need, Hogwarts will take care of it.”

“As long as it’s not for silly, trivial reasons.” Added the sour-faced brunet. He gave Sakura another side-glance, as if silently implying that _she_ was silly and trivial.

Sakura _really_ wanted to punch him.

 

* * *

 

“ _Nine_ months?” Haruno Mebuki repeated, eyebrows furrowing as she watched her daughter put on her sandals by the door. “Isn’t that a really long time?”

“Yes, but long-term missions happen every now and then, mom.” Sakura said to reassure her worrywart mother. She stood up and dusted her skirt before facing her mother. “I’ll keep in touch every month. Hokage-sama asked me to write reports, so I’ll write to you and dad, too.”

The promise of communication eased the woman’s worries a bit, but her eyes still harbored concern for her daughter. “I’m sure you’ll do fine—no, _great_ , Sakura. But, really, nine _months_ —“

“Mom, _please_.” Sakura begged, looking a bit exasperated. “I’ll be _fine_. It’s just an assistant nurse job. I hardly doubt that I’ll get into trouble there. Wizards are different, but they’re not more threatening than shinobi.”

Mebuki didn’t look too sure. Sakura sighed.

“Mom, I promise you that it’s going to be all right. I’ll be back in no time.” She put on her backpack, fat and filled with scrolls, weapons, medical tools and other shinobi equipment, and walked towards the door. But before stepping out the opened door, she turned her head over her shoulder to give her mom a thumbs up.

“I’ll be sure to send some really cool stuff and snacks from there! _Shānnarō!_ ”

 

* * *

 

Sakura was almost at the gate when she heard a voice calling out to her—

_“Hey, Forehead!”_

She turned and saw Ino running towards her. She tilted her head as she watched the girl pant and catch her breath in front of her. “Ino-pig? What are you doing?”

“Saying goodbye, you good-for-nothing forehead!” She clenched her fists and glared at her friend. “How _dare_ you leave without saying goodbye! You’re going to be gone for months and you just _leave_?”

Sakura grinned sheepishly and scratched her chin. “Ahh, sorry, it slipped my mind. I’m kind of in a hurry because my clients are supposed to get back to their country soon.”

“And what a country it is,” Ino began, crossing her arms over her ample chest. She hummed. “The _outside_ , huh? I don’t know anybody who’s ever been there. Not even daddy’s gone. I don’t know if you’re lucky or really unfortunate, Forehead.”

Ino’s mocking laugh made Sakura’s eye twitch. She forced a grin on her face. “Well, at least I won’t be stuck doing absolutely _nothing_ while waiting for customers to drop by. That is, if they even bother shopping at your shop in the first place.”

The jab at her family’s flower shop made Ino snarl. “What’s _that_ , Forehead?! You mocking my family’s source of income?!”

“With an attitude like that, it’ll be your _only_ source of income! No-missions Ino-pig!”

“ARGH! Your forehead is annoying me more than usual! I’m happy that I’m not going to have to see it for nine months!”

“And _I’m_ going to be able to actually see things beyond your piggyness!”

“Just leave already, talking forehead!”

“I will, fatty pig!”

“Fine!”

“ _Fine_!”

They huffed and turned away from each other at the same time, stomping away in opposite directions. It was only when Sakura was about a few yards away did she turn around to watch Ino stomp away wistfully.

_‘I’m going to miss you, Ino-pig.’_

Ino kept going, and only to make sure that Sakura wouldn’t notice her shoulders shaking.

_‘Be careful out there, Forehead.’_

 

* * *

 

“You ready to go, Ms. Haruno?” The old man, Dumbledore-san, asked her once she arrived by the gate. The other man—Snape-san, she believed—just huffed about how _typical_ it was for her to take long in getting ready.

Sakura ignored the other man and smiled congenially at her client, bowing. “Yes, Dumbledore-san. And please, call me Sakura. I’m not very comfortable being addressed that way,” She admitted sheepishly.

The old man eyes twinkled, and Sakura remembered something about _genjutsu_ again, so she focused her eyes on his nose instead. That was so odd, why did she kept sensing something about his eyes?

“Then we shall depart for Hogwarts.” Dumbledore said, and Sakura nodded obediently. From the more detailed report in the folder, she found out that the school she was going to be working for was called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a famous school for wizards. It was like the Academy in Konoha, but she was curious why students there started studying so late. Didn’t they need to cultivate their spiritual energies early?

She shrugged. Who was she to judge how other schools worked?

Sakura gave the guards by the gate a form and letter from the Hokage, and they nodded at her and let them pass. She had just pocketed the form when Dumbledore started speaking again.

“We’ll be walking for about a mile before using the portkey to get to Hogwarts. I’m not sure why, but it’s not usable this close to your village.”

“Portkey?” She asked before stopping herself. The greasy-haired man snorted, and she sent the back of his head a glare.

“It’s a device that lets us travel great distances in a small amount of time. One device can take you to and back from a specific destination. It’s what Severus and I used to travel here to Konoha, though we had to walk quite a bit since we were curiously not able to be transported into the village itself.”

Sakura hummed, impressed by the village’s security. Perhaps the village had seals that didn’t permit them to directly appear within the walls, so this “portkey” transported them to the nearest available area.

 _‘Fascinating.’_ She thought to herself. Maybe she could learn a thing or two from these wizards, as well. A shinobi should be able to utilize whatever new tool they find, after all.

They reached a clearing a little more than a mile away from the village. Sakura looked over her shoulder longingly. She was going on a nine to ten month-long mission away from her village, her master, her friends and her family. She was going to spend a long time with strangers, helping out at a clinic and learning foreign healing methods. It excited her, but it also frightened her a little bit.

_Weak._

She shook her head.

“I can feel the portkey’s magic again. This is a good spot to use it now.” Dumbledore said, pulling her out of her thoughts. She stared as he pulled out... a _stick_? He turned and asked aloud, “Now, where did we hide it, Severus?”

Sakura blinked. They _hid_ it? So he never had it on him in the first place?

Snape sighed and pulled out his own stick. Just as he mumbled something unintelligible to Sakura, the pink-haired kunoichi sensed some form of chakra from it. She watched in fascination as he pointed it at a bush. And then, a box floated out, and then out of it came out a... shinobi sandal?

“Now, Ms. Sakura, this portkey is activated by touch. We couldn’t bring it because touching it would bring us back to Hogwarts. So that’s why we had to hide it.” He explained briefly. She knew there was probably more to that, but she supposed that they didn’t have time to talk about the details. She just nodded and approached the sandal.

“Are you ready, Ms. Sakura?”

She met the gaze of her client, though her mind berated her for doing so. She nodded determinedly. “Yes, Dumbledore-san.”

“Very well. Now, on the count of three, we touch the sandal. And no matter what happens, do _not_ let go of the portkey. Understood?”

“Yes, sir!”

Dumbledore counted, and Sakura counted, too. But instead of numbers, images of her precious people’s faces flashed in her head. The sandal felt oddly smooth under her exposed fingers—

Then, it was gone. And so was she.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, one more thing: I am _not_ pairing Sakura with Snape. I got a lot of flack for the possibility and I dunno which is more hilarious: that people were expecting it or the fact that I was told explicitly not to. The story type is GEN, so you can all relax. :))


	2. Chapter 2

Sakura felt like she was being stretched in every direction possible. It was like being stuck in a horrible genjutsu, except this was very much _real._ She wanted to let go of the sandal, but she was specifically told _not_ to. So she clenched her jaw and held on to it, trying to not get sick from the way the greens and browns of the forest morphed and mixed with muddy grey, brown and black. The colors made her think about ramen for some reason, and she wondered if this is what being a noodle felt like.

And just before she could question _that_ line of thought, she fell to the ground with a thud.

Shinobi instincts kicking in, she automatically rolled to a crouch and jumped away a few feet. She was about to reach into her kunai holster when it suddenly detached from her thigh and flew to the dark-haired man’s hand. The mildly surprised looks on their faces made her pause, and then she suddenly remembered.

The mission. Assistant nurse. _Right_.

“Well, that was the most unique reaction to portkey travel I’ve ever seen!” Her client sounded absolutely entertained from the way he clapped his hands. He turned to Severus who, though rumpled-looking, didn’t look fazed by the travel. “Wouldn’t you agree, Severus?”

“Indeed, Professor Dumbledore. It was... unique.” Snape finished. He didn’t scowl at Sakura like he usually did, but that was because he wasn’t exactly looking at her.

Sakura wanted to scream and punch something, but she kept her temper under control. Her old self would have lashed out at being teased like that, but she knew better than to do that now. The old man was her client, for one thing, and she was in unfamiliar territory. She reminded herself to act proper.

“I apologize, Dumbledore-san. I’m not used to... such means of transportation.” She said, grimacing at the memory of the uncomfortable sensation. She vaguely wondered if that was how summoning worked. If that’s true, she felt awful for her master’s summoning slugs. And Kakashi-sensei’s dogs.

She’ll have to do research on this “portkey” later.

“That’s quite all right. I should have mentioned that it would feel that way since it would most likely be your first time to use one. Very sorry about that, young lady.”

Snape gave her back her holster, and Sakura took it back graciously. She didn’t exactly need her kunai to be prepared for danger, but she felt naked without it. After reattaching the holster to her thigh, she looked up and finally noticed their new surroundings. It was dark, but she could make out short buildings, strange, bright-colored objects with wheels (carts?), some lamp poles and shrubbery—it looked like a residence area, but Sakura wasn’t too sure.

“Is this your country, Dumbledore-san?” She asked after taking in the sights and sounds of the place.

“You can say that. We are in a deserted suburb somewhere in England, but it won’t be for long. It’s still dark, but it would be morning in a few hours. We should go if we want to avoid muggles seeing us.”

Sakura blinked. _Muggles_? “Do you mean civilians, sir? But why would that be a bad thing?”

Dumbledore paused to look at her, but then he seemed to realized something. “Ah, I forgot that you shinobi co-exist with non-shinobi. But here in our world, we wizards keep our existence a secret from the non-magic folk.”

“Oh,” Sakura said in a hushed voice, looking around the neighborhood as she followed them. “Would it be completely terrible for them to find out about wizards?”

It took a few moments for the old man to answer her. “You can say that, Ms. Sakura. Our relationship with the muggles is... complicated. Not many would be very accepting of our existence.”

The pink-haired girl thought that she might have crossed some sort of line. She gulped and bowed her head in apology. “I’m sorry for prying, Dumbledore-san. I was—“

“Oh heavens, don’t apologize, Ms. Sakura!” The old man interjected quietly. “It’s not actually a sensitive topic. It’s just something that can’t be explained in passing, is all. If you’re still curious about it, you can ask again later when we’re safe at Hogwarts.”

She perked up at that. “This Hogwarts is where I’m going to work, right? Is it nearby, Dumbledore-san?”

Instead of hearing the old man’s voice, she heard the deep drawl of the ill-tempered one instead. “Hardly. Hogwarts is located in a different country.”

Sakura frowned at that. “Really? Then, um, why didn’t that portkey thing take us there directly? Um, sir.”

“Why, indeed.” Snape pursed his lips, raising an eyebrow in his employer’s direction.

“I don’t like using portkeys to get to Hogwarts, Ms. Sakura. I always use the Floo when going there.” Before Sakura could ask what the heck a “floo” was, Dumbledore turned to her and just smiled mysteriously in the dark. “And I just _love_ strolls in the dark. Don’t you?”

 

* * *

 

Sakura hopped off the “bus” that they took to get to a place called “The Leaky Cauldron.” The strange vehicle had suddenly zoomed past them while they were walking, making the shinobi reach for her holster again and wonder what the heck _that_ was. The blue thing came back for them, much to her dismay, and a man wearing a uniform came out of it and apologized for passing by them. Her two clients just stepped inside the moving blue mystery, leaving Sakura to fidget at the thought of riding the fast vehicle. But the girl didn’t want to disobey just because she was unnerved by the thing, so she followed her clients inside and hoped for the best.

She thanked _Kami_ for her superior chakra control because, without it, she wouldn’t have been able to stick her feet to the floor and prevent herself from becoming a pancake. The whole experience once again made Sakura wonder why they didn’t just travel directly to where they needed to go.

 _‘Wizards are strange. Shānnarō!’_ She grumbled in her head.

“Quite a useful trick you have there, Ms. Sakura. Many a wizard would love to be able to do what you shinobi can,” Dumbledore commented good-naturedly as they entered the establishment. Sakura stared at the previously blank sign and squinted at the weird letters that appeared on it. Genjutsu?

“Ah, yes. It’s a basic skill shinobi have to master, Dumbledore-san. It helps us make the best out of whatever terrain we might find ourselves in,” She explained without revealing too much. The Hokage didn’t specifically tell her to keep quiet about their techniques, but she does live in a land full of hidden villages. And if those villages kept secrets from _each other_ , surely they’d be much more secretive to outsiders.

But Dumbledore seemed to accept her vague answer since he was nodding. “A useful trick indeed. You shinobi are quite formidable, no?” He commented mysteriously, making Sakura look at him strangely.

 _‘What was that supposed to mean?’_ She thought to herself, eyeing Dumbledore’s back suspiciously as the old man approached someone behind the bar. While he was busy talking to someone, Sakura decided to observe her surroundings.

It was a dark pub, of sorts. The place seemed devoid of people, so Sakura assumed that the establishment was already closed. There was a second floor which, she assumed, to be rented-out rooms. So they were at an inn? What were they doing at a place like this?

 _‘He’ll probably say how much he_ loves _visiting dark pubs, too. Weird old man.’_ She huffed in her head. As she watched him converse with the bartender, she thought about the other time she had an old man as her client—back when she had her _old_ team.

Her thoughts took a dark turn at the mention of Team 7, and she clenched her fists at her sides. Back then she hadn’t been able to help out much. Mostly because she had been weak then, but before she had also been so distracted that she didn’t focus on being a better ninja.

Dumbledore called out and asked her to follow him, and she did with half her mind in the past. As she followed him to the fireplace, she wondered if things would have been different if she had focused solely on the mission and not on...

She shook her head. She was doing it again, thinking about _him_ when she should be thinking about the mission. Sakura promised to herself that she was going to do a great job and do Tsunade-shisho proud. Thinking about what could have been was a distraction she couldn’t afford to have.

Ironically, she had been so distracted with her thoughts that she was surprised when the bartender handed her a pot of... ash? She blinked at him quizzically, and before the man could speak, Dumbledore beat him to it.

“This here is _Floo Powder_ , Ms. Sakura. It’s a glittery powder that’s used to travel using the _Floo Network_.” He took a handful of glittery, emerald powder and showed it to her. “Basically, you take a handful of powder, stand in the fireplace, and then state your destination loudly and clearly before throwing the powder.”

Sakura was smart, but she couldn’t believe what she was told. St- _Stand in the fireplace_? She looked back and forth from the fireplace to the powder in the old man’s hand. How was _glitter_ supposed to help her travel through a _chimney_?

Dumbledore sensed her confusion and beamed down at her. “I’ll have Severus over here demonstrate it to you now. Severus, if you would?” He put the powder in his hand back into the pot and stood back as Snape approached and scooped a handful of the glittery powder in his hand.

Sakura watched in fascination as Snape stood in the fireplace. He paused, yelled “Hogwarts” and threw the powder down into the hearth. She jumped back when he suddenly burst into green and yellow flames.

D-Did Snape-san die? Did she fail her mission already? What would Tsunade-shisho say—

“There, Severus should be already in my office. We shouldn’t keep him waiting, no?” He said and gestured for her to approach the hearth. The bartender once again offered her the pot full of powder and, after scooping a handful, Sakura turned back to Dumbledore. “Now, Ms. Sakura, I know it’s your first time using this, so I’ll explain it again. You stand in the fireplace, say your destination loudly and clearly and then throw the powder into the hearth. If you mangle the pronunciation, you risk being taken somewhere else. Do you understand?”

She gulped at the thought of being taken to an unfamiliar place. But she straightened her posture and nodded, looking at the fireplace determinedly. “Yes, sir.”

“Our destination is Hogwarts. Say it loud and clearly for me, please.”

“Hogwarts!”

“Good, good.” Dumbledore said, pleased with how she pronounced it. “Now, after you.”

Sakura was about to protest because he, her client, should be the one to go first. But he insisted on her going first, and Sakura thought he probably wanted to make sure she got it right. She felt reassured, but it wasn’t his job to take care of her. She grumbled about it in her head as she got inside the fireplace. She glanced at the glittery powder in her hand, only then appreciating how pretty it looked.

“Whenever you’re ready, Ms. Sakura.” Dumbledore prompted, pulling her out of her thoughts.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes to still herself. When she opened them, she said out loud, “Hogwarts!” and threw the powder into the hearth. She watched as the green and yellow flames wrapped around her and made her disappear.

 

* * *

 

She tumbled out of the fireplace, covered in soot. She coughed as she dusted herself off, slightly miffed that her outfit was ruined. She took off her backpack—she forgot that she had one on until that moment—and put it on the floor next to her. She ran her hands through her hair and was annoyed to see black smoke coming out. Soot got into her hair, too. _Ugh_. Why didn’t they just directly travel to Hogwarts, again?

 _‘Crazy old men.’_ She grumbled, scowling down at her ruined gloves.

Before she can get a cloth from her backpack, she heard a deep voice mumble something from above her, and all of a sudden the soot vanished. She looked up just in time to see Snape tucking in the thin stick he had used earlier to make the portkey float. Sakura wondered if that was what they used to channel their “magic.”

“Err, thank you, sir.” She said, bowing once to show her gratitude.

He harrumphed and turned away, and she gaped at his attitude. She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth as she watched him walk to the fireplace.

 _‘What the heck is his problem? He pisses me off!’_ She growled in her head. Boy, she really wished that Ino was with her right now. That way she could have someone to complain about this guy; Ino would feel the same way about him for sure!

The fireplace glowed green and yellow again, and out of the fireplace came Dumbledore. Snape was there to get rid of the soot on the man’s body like the way he did for Sakura, and this time the girl made sure to watch. He mumbled something, waved the stick and _poof_ her client was clean. It was similar to how most shinobi do jutsu; they perform hand seals, think or shout the name of the jutsu and _poof_ jutsu.

She looked at the man’s stick and then, oddly, at her hands. If magic was basically chakra _without_ the physical energy, did that mean she could do the same thing? Except since she trained her body to harness physical energy, she could just use parts of her body as the conduit instead? Say, a finger?

Sakura hummed as she thought about her theory. It would be such a huge advantage for them if they could do that! She _had_ to research on it.

“—Ms. Sakura?”

“Eh?” She looked up and saw that the two men were looking down at her. She gasped and stood up, bowing in apology. “I’m sorry! I got distracted for a moment, Dumbledore-san!”

“Oh, there’s no need for that! I actually thought you had a bit of a headache; traveling by Floo can do that, especially for the first time.” He said. Then, he smiled at her. “You learn quite fast, Ms. Sakura! I can see why your Hokage recommended you for this mission.”

She blushed at the compliment and looked down at the ground awkwardly. Not knowing what else to do, she just thanked him quietly.  
  
The old man smiled at her before turning to Snape. “Severus, would you be so kind as to fetch the rest of the staff that’s already awake? They should be informed of Ms. Sakura and her role here.”

“Understood, Professor Dumbledore.” The man nodded stiffly. He gave Sakura another side glance before turning on his heel, black robe swishing around him. Sakura would have laughed at the sight if the man didn’t irritate her so much.

“Geez, what’s _his_ problem?” She muttered under breath, crossing her arms. “You’d think I offended him or something, but I never did anything wrong to him.”

“Ah, you must forgive Severus, Ms. Sakura.” Dumbledore said. Sakura blushed when she realized that she had complained loud enough for him to hear. “He’s the type to not trust easily, and us wizard folk aren’t very used to seeing such young people work, especially in the medical field. I realize that that is your custom and you cannot help accomplishing so much at such a young age, but please do try to understand him a little bit.”

Sakura smiled sheepishly. “W-Well, Dumbledore-san, I wasn’t _really_ complaining, I just—“

“Oh, don’t be so formal, Ms. Sakura. I understand that anyone would react the same way you did.”

Sakura grinned uncomfortably at that, inwardly chastising herself for letting him hear that. As she followed her client deeper into the room, she took in her surroundings. They seemed to be in some sort of office—books, cabinets and paintings lined the walls of the warm-colored room, and there was a table of strange instruments and a sitting area on the side. What drew Sakura’s attention the most were the paintings and the bright-colored bird perched on a stand beside a desk.

She approached it with wide, fascinated eyes, and the majestic red bird just looked at her briefly before resuming in cleaning its feathers.

“That is Fawkes,” Dumbledore declared helpfully after having seen Sakura’s reaction to it. “He’s a phoenix. Is this the first time you’ve seen one?”

She nodded. “There aren’t many in the Elemental Countries, sir. But I have read about them in a scroll.” Most references to phoenixes were ninjutsu, but she knew that they were based on the bird in front of her.

“I wouldn’t be surprised. Phoenixes rarely travel to the Elemental Countries, and Fawkes probably wouldn’t go deliberately if I hadn’t sent him to deliver your Hokage a message.”

She blinked. “Message?”

“That was how I was able to contact Ms. Tsunade about the mission. While we wizards mostly use owls to deliver our message, owls normally couldn’t make the trip to the Elemental Countries.” Dumbledore sat down at his desk. “But even then, Fawkes had a bit of trouble delivering the message. His bright feathers drew a bit of attention, you see.”

Sakura didn’t need to ask for clarification. She eyed the phoenix and noticed a bandage wrapped around its right leg.

“Now, then, before we get distracted, I’d like you to sit down so we could discuss more about your mission, please.”

Sakura nodded and sat down in front of the desk. She placed her hands on her lap and said, “Yes, sir!”

Dumbledore looked amused at her seriousness, but he didn’t comment. Instead, he began with explaining the mission further. “Now, you already know this, but you are to work under our matron, Madam Poppy Pomfrey along with her other assistant, Nurse Wainscott. Your duty is to assist them in healing the contestants in the upcoming Triwizard Tournament. With your medical skills, you will act primarily as a _field healer_ during tournament events. You will stand by and be prepared in case any of the contestants need prompt healing. When tournament events aren’t taking place, you are to help out at the Infirmary.

“Since we employed a medical shinobi for the job, we obviously want you to use your skills. It’s the swiftness and efficiency of your medical ninjutsu that made us approach your village in the first place. You may learn our own healing techniques and study the medical potions we have to assist Madam Pomfrey better, but you are not required to do so. Madam Pomfrey was informed of your skills already, but it may be prudent of you to give her more information or, better yet, a demonstration on how your techniques work.

“Also, I was informed by madam Tsunade that you are also trained in combat. But as much as possible, I would like to request that you use those skills to a minimum or, preferably, not use them at all. We hired a healer, not a combatant. However, if you wish to train, you may do so outside the castle. I suggest doing so where students wouldn’t be able to see you.”

Sakura nodded at the important bits, and when Dumbledore made no move to say anything more, she thought it was safe to ask questions, “Understood, Dumbledore-san. But will I be required to brew your medicine as well? I’d like to help out as much as I can.”

“Hmm, interesting. I suppose we could use a little help with that. That way, Severus can concentrate on other things.” Dumbledore hummed, stroking his beard in thought.

The mention of the sour-looking man made Sakura blink. “Snape-san?”

“Oh, I probably forgot to mention: Severus is our Potions Master. He teaches the subject Potions in this school and brews potions for the Infirmary as well as for the other teachers that might need his expertise. If you are willing to help him brew basic medical potions, I’m sure we can have him teach you.” He replied cheerily, eyes twinkling.

Sakura hung her head and groaned. It had to be Greasy, hadn’t it?

“I understand, sir. I’ll definitely do my best.” She said after recovering. “As for my training, where would be the most suitable place to do so? And what time?”

“The Grounds at night would be all right, though it’s still possible for some students to see you. I would then recommend the Forbidden Forest. Normally I wouldn’t do so, but with your skills it might be the best place for you. There are clearings there that you can use. Just don’t disturb the creatures that talk.”

Sakura blinked. Creatures that... talk? Like summons?

The sound of stone moving interrupted them, and they both watched as Severus and other robed men and women came up from the stairs. Not knowing what else to do, Sakura stood up and faced them, ready to be introduced.

“Ah, you’re all here. Just in time!” Dumbledore also stood up and walked around his desk. He faced Sakura and, to the girl’s confusion, suddenly looked troubled. “Oh, I almost forgot—“

Dumbledore pulled out the stick again and pointed it at Sakura. She had already guessed that it was the conduit he used to channel his spiritual energy or “magic.” Before the girl could react, he uttered something unintelligible to her and tapped her on the head with the conduit. She felt something cool wash down the back of her spine and almost panicked.

Foreign chakra! She had foreign chakra in her system!!

“A language charm?” A woman in a dominantly white garb asked, awed.

“It isn’t the best solution, but it would do for now as she learns to speak our language.” Dumbledore said, and Sakura finally realized what was strange about the way he spoke. He had a curious accent that she wasn’t familiar with and could only detect now.

Her face probably showed how uncomfortable and confused she was because Dumbledore suddenly spoke. He chuckled at her. “No need to worry, Ms. Sakura. I just used a bit of magic to help you understand and speak English. Normally this would be just fine, but the spell doesn’t help you understand written English. And since you’ll be studying a lot, well, we can’t have that, can we?

“Madam Tsunade assured me that you’re intelligent enough to learn the language on  your own, but if you would need a tutor, I’m sure Madam Pince would be willing to help you out. She’s the school librarian, by the way. In any case, let’s discuss this _after_ I introduce you to the staff, yes?”

She nodded mutely, but only because she was still bothered by what happened. The back of her head itched, and it was no doubt the doing of the foreign chakra. Sakura knew it was for the best; she had to understand them, after all.

Sakura’s fingers twitched. That didn’t mean that she had to like it, though.

Satisfied, Dumbledore turned to the row of people standing in front of them. “Everyone, I’d like you to meet Ms. Sakura Haruno. She’s a medical shinobi from the Elemental Countries, and we hired her as an assistant nurse to Poppy and a field healer during the Triwizard Tournament.”

She bowed deeply. “Pleased to meet you. I’m Haruno, Sakura. I’m going to be working as an assistant nurse. I am not very familiar with your ways, but I’ll do my very best to learn. So please take care of me.”

For a moment, everyone was silent. Then most of the teachers started chuckling. The pink-haired kunoichi blushed.

“My, she’s quite polite, isn’t she? It’s refreshing to see someone so young act like that.” A stout woman giggled behind her hand, and the other teachers agreed with her. Some, though, were more focused on the “young” part than the “polite” part.

“She seems quite young, too. I’ve heard about the natives of the Elemental Countries training children to be warriors, but I didn’t believe it. This girl is almost still a child.” One of the professors observed, eyeing her skeptically. “Is she really skilled enough to be a nurse?”

“That place has training methods that require them to start at a young age, so I have no doubt that she is, Aurora.” A bespectacled old woman in green robes came to Sakura’s defense, though the girl could detect a bit of disapproval in her tone. “Although I can never agree with such customs, their training curriculum allows younger people to be skilled rather early in life.”

“I know, Minerva but... she’s just a child.” The teacher named Aurora insisted, though she no longer looked skeptical. In fact, she now looked wary of her and, much to Sakura’s confusion, sympathetic. “I can’t imagine what kind of society would force children to learn how to kill. It’s extremely sad.”

“I agree.”

Sakura wondered if she should defend her home’s ways. She desperately wanted to, of course, but she didn’t know if it would be stepping out of bounds. She wasn’t hired to defend her land’s customs; she was just here to heal. Simple as that.

So she decided to remain quiet. It was hard, but she pursed her lips and just convinced herself that it was better this way. The less they knew about her village, the better.

“Now, now, let’s not insult Ms. Sakura. While it is true that she is young—you are fifteen, yes, Ms. Sakura? Oh, fourteen—she is a very capable medic. She even trained under her village’s leader who is renowned as a formidable medical ninja in their land.”

Instead of a positive response like he intended, Dumbledore received incredulous stares. “ _Fourteen_?!” Even Snape looked a bit surprised before going back to looking like he had lemons for breakfast.

“None of that now,” Dumbledore reprimanded over the wave of exclamations, something for which Sakura was grateful. He turned to give her another one of his friendly smiles. “Come, Ms. Sakura, I’ll introduce you to them individually.”

She nodded at him and said, “Yes, sir!”

As she memorized the names and faces of her coworkers—that’s what they were, right? Since they obviously worked under Dumbledore-san—she couldn’t help but feel a little disheartened by their skeptical and wary looks. These wizards seemed to wear their hearts on their sleeves. So different from shinobi!

“And finally, Ms. Sakura, this is Madam Poppy Pomfrey, the matron here at Hogwarts. She’ll be the one instructing you about the ins and outs of the infirmary. There is another nurse, Ms. Wainscott, but she doesn’t seem to be around—“

“Oh, I sent her out on an errand, Professor Dumbledore.”

“Ah, I see. Poppy, well, you already know Ms. Sakura.” He gestured to Sakura, a kind smile on his face.

Sakura bowed deeply in front of her. “Good day, Madam Pomfrey! My name is Sakura Haruno, and I’m going to be working under you as an assistant nurse. I don’t know much about your customs and techniques, but I’m more than happy and willing to learn from you.”

The matron beamed. “Oh, what a polite and well-mannered young lady! I look forward to teaching you.”

Sakura beamed back, but her grin fell the moment she overheard some of the teachers gossiping quietly a few feet away, probably thinking that she couldn’t hear them. The way they talked about her “age” and “unprofessional aura” lowered her confidence a bit. She briefly wondered if she could still do this.

Sakura berated herself again. What was she doing? She shouldn’t care about what other people thought about her, especially if they had no idea what shinobi were _really_ capable of. Sakura was _skilled_ , and she was going to prove that to them.

“Now, since the introductions are over, I’d like Ms. Sakura to get to know the castle and the Infirmary, especially. Would you do the honors, Poppy?”

“I’d love to show her around! Come, dear.” The matronly woman smiled at her, and she smiled back, though it was strained because she could still hear the words of skepticism echoing in her head on the way out.  
  
Sakura clenched her fists to the sides. Let them gossip, insult her ways. She had a mission to complete, and a master and leader to make proud of her. She will _not_ give up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes:
> 
> (1) Nurse Wainscott is an actual character in the Harry Potter verse. Not a lot is known about her, though. Just added her since it makes more sense that Pomfrey has an assistant all along and to emphasize that.


	3. Chapter 3

Sakura’s eyes were wide with awe as she took in the sights of the castle. She’d been in one before, back when she was still part of her original four-man cell, but she never _really_ got to stop and appreciate the architecture of the structure, did she? And this wasn’t some creepy, abandoned castle; it was a beautiful, functional masterpiece. Brightly lit, beautifully decorated and, strangely, somehow alive. She touched the stone wall and felt a soft rumble beneath her fingertips, making her blink _._

Was the castle infused with some sort of chakra? The thought intrigued her.

“Come now, Ms. Sakura, don’t dawdle!” Came the matron’s call from down the corridor. Sakura didn’t know she had lagged behind so far.

“Sorry!” She said, quickly sprinting to catch up to her in no time at all. She tried ignoring the surprised look on the school nurse’s face. “I was distracted for a bit, Madam Pomfrey. I’m really sorry.”

She gave Sakura kind smile and a little pat on the shoulder. “That’s quite all right, dear. I’m assuming this is your first time in a castle?”

The girl shook her head, smiling. “No, but it wasn’t as nice as this. Everything is so breathtaking and new. I really have no words, honestly.”

“Hogwarts is, indeed, a sight to behold. Robust and strong, yet warm and friendly. You could get lost in it and have no fear. Usually.” Pomfrey said, smiling mysteriously at the last part.

Sakura blinked. What could she have meant by that, she wondered.

The school matron toured Sakura around the castle, and while the girl enjoyed herself, she made sure to memorize each possible passage and path for future reference. One couldn’t be _too_ careful, after all. When they reached a corridor with open windows, she had to suppress the urge to go over the stone railings and bask in the glow of the morning sun. She smiled to herself; that would be such a Naruto thing to do, but with more flailing and loudness.

Madam Pomfrey said something about the Hospital Wing being on the first floor, so they entered a chamber full of massive staircases. Sakura stared wide-eyed when one of the staircases a few floors above them started to _move_. What in the—is someone sabotaging the castle?!

“M-Madam Pomfrey!” She called out to the nurse who was just about to walk down the stairs. When the elderly woman looked back at her, she pointed at the moving staircase above them. “Look up! Why is that staircase moving? There must be an intruder in the castle! They’re— _AH_ , that one moved too!!”

At first the nurse didn’t react. But then she hid her giggles behind a thin, wrinkly hand. “Heavens, no! That’s—oh dear,” She looked away to hide her grinning face, but she used her free hand to beckon the wary-looking Sakura to her.

Sakura frowned. “Is that normal, then? The moving staircases?” She briefly looked up at the staircases, now immobile. Her frown deepened. “What purpose do they serve? To deter intruders?”

“Oh, not everything in this castle is built to safeguard against evildoers, Ms. Sakura.” Pomfrey explained, though she did not mock Sakura for her practical questions. She looked pleased, in fact. “The staircases change because they were enchanted that way. One of the school founders, Rowena Ravenclaw, came up with the idea.”

As they started moving down the stairs (which weren’t moving... for now), Sakura hummed in thought. So one of these wizards just made these staircases move because they could? And not for a real purpose? That seemed like a waste! It was a potential security measure. Imagine, if the stairs could detect malicious chakra and move to—

When one of the steps sunk beneath her feet, she instantly jumped down to the lower platform. She recovered, then blinked in surprise when she heard a round of applause from behind her.

“Marvelous!” Came a male voice and more enthusiastic clapping. “That was an amazing trick! Do it again!”

“I’ve never seen _any_ of the students do that. Most of them just get stuck or hop over!”

“It’s like she _flew_ , she did!”

Sakura looked behind her and blanched. She expected people, and indeed, it _was_ a group of people. But—

They were _portraits_ of people!

“What the hell?!” Sakura took a step back as she stared at the clapping portraits, then surveyed the chamber. She gasped. Almost _every_ spot on the wall had a painting on it! And there were moving people! As if they were—they were _alive_ in those things!

What kind of school was this?!

“No need to worry, dear. Those portraits are enchanted, as well.” Madam Pomfrey came up from behind her. She had paused for a moment after seeing Sakura leap down from such a height; part of her wanted to berate her for attempting such a thing, but she remembered that Sakura wasn’t _exactly_ a normal teenager. She still kept a wary glance at the girl, though. Nobody should subject themselves to such danger so willingly, she believed.

Sakura’s posture relaxed, but she still looked suspicious. The enchanted portraits stopped clapping, but they were giving her approving looks. Some even held up cards with numbers on them. Most held up a 10. A grumpy-looking one on the upper right held up a 9.

She snorted at the 9-holder. Everyone’s a critic.

“Come now, we don’t have time to waste!” Madam Pomfrey tapped her lightly on the shoulder and gestured towards the staircase leading further down. “I need to show you the Hospital Wing before lunch. Then we can resume touring the rest of the castle.”

“Yes, Madam Pomfrey!” Sakura nodded at her superior and followed her, but not before giving the staircase a suspicious look, silently _daring_ it to move while she was on it.

When it did, in fact, move, Sakura held on to the railings like her life depended on it.

 

* * *

 

“Here we are! The Hospital Wing.”

Sakura entered the bright, fresh-smelling infirmary, looking around in awe. The beds were neat and tidy, and each had a hospital curtain between them for privacy. Further walking led her to the corner where a few desks were, one of which she assumed was Madam Pomfrey’s.

The school matron went around the desk and picked up a storage box full of thick folders. Sakura stood on her tiptoes to peek discreetly; she didn’t know if she could, but she was just so curious.

Then she was surprised when the woman _gave_ her the storage box. She blinked at it, then up at the school nurse. “Madam Pomfrey?”

“These are all files that we have on the students currently enrolled next term. The incoming first years have yet to be given medical exams, so their files will come later. It would be best if you take a look into these to prepare you for this term. You don’t have to memorize everything since you’re only here for a year, but it would make things easier for you while you’re working here.”

Sakura thought that made sense. She was hired primarily to be a field nurse for this Triwizard Tournament, but her employer told her that she would be working here when there weren’t any events. It made her curious about what kind of _events_ there were if they required a field healer on standby. A more dangerous version of an obstacle course, perhaps? Or... some sort of wizard death match?

Was _that_ why they hired her? Someone could die? It felt like the chūnin exams all over again! She gripped the box tightly against her body.

“I understand. I’ll memorize them by tomorrow morning.” Sakura said, nodding determinedly.

The school nurse gave her a worried look. “You don’t _have_ to, dear. At least, not by tomorrow. The students won’t be arriving till the first of September. I wouldn’t rush, if I were you.”

Despite her reassurances, Sakura shook her head with a smile. She set down the box to inspect a few of the students’ files. “No, it’s the least I could do, ma’am. After all, I’m hired to—“

She opened one of the folders, and the smile on her face froze. Her eyes scanned the document, and bit by bit her smile faded as realization dawned. Of—Of _course_. She closed the folder in her hands and smiled sheepishly up at the bewildered woman. She hugged the folder against her chest.

“O-On second thought, I might have to take that back, after all, Madam Pomfrey.” She said shamefully, though she was still smiling in embarrassment. And how embarrassed she was!

“Oh? What changed your mind, dear?”

She looked at the folder in her hands, briefly wondering if she should tell her. Sakura decided to just hide her reddening face behind the folder as she mumbled quietly:

“I... I can’t read anything yet, Madam Pomfrey.”

 

* * *

 

“You’ve got the basics of the letters down so quickly! I’m very impressed.”

Sakura smiled at Madam Pince from across the table. “Thank you. It’s a little easy, given that your letters are just _letters_ and not ideas.”

And that was true. Sakura’s language had an alphabet that mostly consisted of characters that represented ideas, and the meanings changed depending on context. There were also two other kinds of alphabets—one for local words, and another for borrowed foreign terms—and they were the easiest to learn since they were used to just spell out words. The alphabet the wizards normally used was similar to that, so Sakura didn’t have much trouble with that part.

But then came the confusing parts: grammar, syntax and word forms. In Sakura’s language, the plural and singular form of the word was the same, yet in the wizards’ English, they had many forms. The ‘s’ and ‘es’ forms were simple enough to understand, but some words changed entirely! The plural for mouse was mice. Yet the plural for house was houses. Why couldn’t it have been mouses? Or hice? Sheep was still sheep, thankfully enough, but fish could be fish or fishes. Which was it?!

What an unnecessarily complex language. She thanked her large forehead that she was smart.

Aside from the technical stuff, Sakura had to learn new words like _hexes_ and _charms_ , as well as absorb new meanings to words like _broom_ and _apparition_. Brooms seemed very interesting tools, though she doubted that they were as practical as instantaneous teleportation. Kakashi-sensei could do that, but Sakura hadn’t mastered it yet. Was learning it the wizard way different from the shinobi way? The answer was obviously _yes_ , but in what way?

Sakura couldn’t help but feel giddy; so many new things to learn and take back home with her! And she wondered if she could get a wand of her own, too.

The thought made her grin as she went back to her studies.

 

* * *

 

The next few days were spent primarily learning the written language and practicing her speech. She still had a bit of an accent when speaking, but Dumbledore had informed her that such a thing was unavoidable; no spell was perfect, he said, and an experimental language charm was surely anything but. She was just glad that her new colleagues were above mocking her whenever she made a mistake pronouncing a word; she didn’t know what she’d do if she was suddenly bullied again.

Speaking of bullies, though—

“Ms. Haruno.”

The pink-haired girl looked up from her textbook to see Severus Snape, and she had to stop herself from openly scowling at the sight of him. She hadn’t spoken with him since that day she arrived at the castle, but she knew she’d have to talk to him again eventually.

She just hoped that eventually meant _not anytime soon, nope_.

“Mr. Snape, sir.” She greeted him with a local title. “May I help you?”

The brunet looked torn between raising a brow and deepening his sneer. He eventually decided to just look unfriendly—though he didn’t have to make an effort on that front; he _always_ looked unfriendly. “The Headmaster has informed me earlier that you are interested in assisting me brew potions for the infirmary. Is that still applicable now?”

The girl blinked up at him, and then she felt a little excited. Potion brewing? He was going to start teaching her now? She smiled a little and nodded.

Severus let out a sigh through his nose and jerked his head to the side, silently telling her to follow him. He wasted no time to leave the library, and Sakura quickly closed her books and placed them on the cart nearby. She had to run a little to catch up to the man since he had such long strides, and she kept herself entertained by watching the way his black robes billowed dramatically behind him.

Had he enchanted his clothes to do that? The very thought made her snort, and she had to apologize when the man turned to give her a small glare.

The Potions Master led her to the dungeons, and she looked around in awe. It was her first time in the dungeons since Madam Pomfrey never bothered to show her this part of the castle. She kept herself entertained by things like moving pieces of armor, more paintings and—

She jerked to a stop when her instincts told her to duck and roll. She did so, and she managed to avoid a round projectile that was aimed at her head. She then reeled in disgust when the projectile exploded and let out a _horrible_ stench.

“What the hell?!” She cried out, covering her nose.

Snape sighed irritably and waved his wand at the wall where the dung bomb had landed. Sakura let out a breath of relief when the stench was gone, but Snape was still irate as he shifted his eyes around. After a few moments, he called out angrily, “Peeves! You insufferable waste of space!”

Sakura blinked when he heard a cackle, and the hairs on her skin rose when the laughter bounced against the walls. Right above her, something started to manifest, and her jaw dropped as she stared up at a... a—

She pointed at it and shrieked, “ _Ghost_!!”

“Ghost?! I’m no _ghost_!” The ridiculously-dressed apparition sneered briefly before grinning maniacally, juggling a few of those horrible-smelling projectiles in his hands. He started to do a little jig in the air as he cackled, “Peeves is the name! Having fun is my game! Also, making fun of icky pinky girlies!”

“Mr. Snape, the school is _haunted_!” She exclaimed to the Potions Master who just sneered at the juggling poltergeist. Did they need to call an exorcist? This wasn’t something Sakura was used to handling at all!

“You needn’t concern yourself, Ms. Haruno. The castle is full of ghosts. And Peeves is... well, _Peeves_.” He sent the cackling poltergeist a disdainful look before adding, “The Bloody Baron will see to it that he doesn’t bother us while we’re down here.”

The name made the poltergeist stop his movements, and Sakura saw a tinge of fear in Peeves’ eyes. Then he grinned again and cackled while flying away.

“ICKY PINKY GIRLIE! ICKY PINKY GIRLIE! HAHAHAHA!”

“HEY! WHO YOU CALLING ICKY PINKY? YOU LITTLE—“

“Ms. Haruno, if you are of the mind to forego brewing lessons for exchanging insults with annoying pests, please inform me now so that I wouldn’t have to waste my time waiting.”

At that, Sakura stopped growling and shaking her fist after the poltergeist. She turned around and gave the grumpy-looking man a sheepish look. “Oh, uh, I’m still interested in brewing lessons. I’m sorry, Mr. Snape, it’s just—“

“Then stop wasting time and follow me.” He interjected rather harshly. As he walked away, Sakura could swear that he heard him mumble something about  “little girls that frighten so easily.”

She huffed and followed him, sending a brief glare at the spot where the stupid pest named Peeves vanished. Sakura, frighten so easily? Who said she was afraid of ghosts? Or poltergeists, whatever! She wasn’t a sissy idiot like Naruto! That greasy-haired Snape should be glad that Sakura took her job seriously because if she could get away with it, she’d turn _him_ into a ghost!

 _‘But I suppose that wouldn’t make much of a difference,’_ She thought bitterly as she entered his office, no longer bothering to hide the scowl on her face.

 

* * *

 

During the first three days of her lessons, Snape simply gave her lectures what brewing was, how delicate of a practice it was, and why the method of preparing the ingredients could have a great impact on the potion. Adding an ingredient that was crushed, for example, made a potion more potent than it would have been if it had been diced instead. Sakura thought about that and agreed, thinking that applying pressure would release more of its juices and, thus, greatly affect its potency.

Apparently she had voiced her thoughts out loud, because Snape had given her a look that meant that he hadn’t expected her to know that. But instead of saying anything, he just nodded and proceeded to dump a load of books on the table she was working on.

She supposed he expected her to groan at the sight of more books to read, and she probably _would_ have—but she just found everything so _fascinating_ , and learning new things excited Sakura. And honestly, the stack of seven books were _nothing_ compared to the piles of scrolls and books Tsunade-shisho made her read _every day_.

Snape didn’t know that though, so he was mildly surprised once again by her enthusiasm. She just smiled sweetly and thanked him, causing him to scoff and tell her to start reading the advanced material immediately, and she did.

But after coming across a chapter in one of the books, her enthusiasm dimmed quite a bit.

“Um, Mr. Snape?”

The man paused his own potion brewing to give her a disinterested look, silently asking her what she wanted. The girl hesitated briefly before deciding to ask her question.

“Does Potions brewing require the use of magic?” She asked. When he raised an eyebrow at her, she continued, “It says here in _Purely Potions for Potioneers_ that minimal wand work is used when brewing potions. But in that first grade book you lent me during our first lesson, it said there that _muggles_ couldn’t brew potions. Does that mean that magic is still a requirement in potion making, to an extent?”

“...Correct, Ms. Haruno. Wand work _is_ kept to a minimum in Potions, and most of the time potioneers only use it for multitasking and easing certain tasks like mixing, timing and preparing ingredients.” Snape answered as he continued preparing his many potions. “However, it is necessary to make use of a magical core whenever one intends to brew a magical potion. Not doing so would be simply disastrous.”

“Yeah. It says here that muggles attempting to brew a potion would only succeed in making a gross, and _poisonous_ , soup.” She traced the lines on the book with her finger while scrunching her nose at the thought.  She looked up at the Potions Master with a worried frown on her face. “So does that mean I’m not able to brew a potion without a wand?”

The brunet opened his mouth to respond, but quickly shut it closed while looking quite stunned. He schooled his expression quickly before sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Perhaps a visit to Hogsmeade is in order, Ms. Haruno.”

 

* * *

 

It was official: Sakura _hated_ traveling by Floo.

She rolled out of the fireplace and once again landed in a crouch, but this time she didn’t reach for a kunai like she did last time. She knew better than to take out a weapon in front of civilians, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t stay alert. Who knew what awaited on the other side, after all?

But apparently her cautiousness wasn’t appreciated, because Snape had leveled her with an unimpressed frown after he himself had appeared after her.

“If you are quite _done_ , Ms. Haruno.” Snape said after cleaning his robes with a wave of his wand. He did the same for her as an afterthought. “Let us head to Ollivanders.”

Her mouth dropped in appall as she followed him out of the establishment with her gaze. Then she started to fume—the _nerve_ of that guy! Why couldn’t he be nicer to her? It was starting to get _really_ hard to resist the urge to punch the living daylights out of him.

She grumbled under her breath as she left the establishment. What an asshole!

Turned out that they had _floo’d_ to a pub called _The Three Broomsticks_ , and they were in a small town called Hogsmeade. It was quite a picturesque village full of shops and cottages. She looked around the place and realized that Hogwarts wasn’t too far away.

She blanched. So why the hell did they have to use to _Floo_? They could have just walked! Stupid Snape!

 _‘He probably just wanted to make me suffer.’_ She thought bitterly in her head. A childish part of her wanted to throw some kunai at Snape just for the heck of it, but she wasn’t Naruto, so she just settled for glaring at the back of his greasy head. Although she _would_ be lying if she said that pranking Snape was unappealing.

 _Naruto_ would have made it his mission to prank Snape whenever possible, she was sure.

The two of them entered a shop called _Ollivanders_ , which was the local branch of the original shop in a place called Diagon Alley. She entered the shop with Snape, and the Potions Master spoke with the employee behind the counter. After looking around briefly, it suddenly dawned on Sakura that this was a _shop_ —as in, she would need money to make a purchase.

She didn’t have money. Or at least, not in the wizards’ currency.

“Uh, Mr. Snape? How am I going to pay for the wand? I don’t have any money.”

“The cost of the wand will simply come out of your payment, Ms. Haruno.”

“Oh. All right, then.”

“Hmph.”

Sakura seethed. What a grump!

The shopkeeper, a Mr. Cattlecoff, spoke with her a bit, and she was surprised to know that he already knew her name. After a brief questioning glance at Snape, she learned that the shopkeeper was quite adept at Divination and could predict whenever customers would arrive. After recovering from _that_ shock, she admitted that she never heard of wands before traveling to their world, much less used one. The man found that a bit baffling, and also intriguing. The shopkeeper measured her “wand” arm (eight and a half inches) and went back further into the shop, coming back a few minutes later with an armful of rectangular boxes.

“Here we are,” He placed the boxes on the counter in front of her. “Now, based on what I’ve observed and learned of you, these are just some of the wands that I think might suit you. Do give them a try now.”

He opened one of the boxes and handed her a stick with a handle. Looking at it, she realized that wands were designed differently for each person. That intrigued her—was it simply aesthetics, or did the design have some sort of practical use? Her weapons all looked the same, and each modification served a purpose.

“Here—birch wood, unicorn hair core. Eight and a half inches. You’re a healer at Hogwarts, yes?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Then this might be the perfect match for you. Do give it a wave.”

She nodded and waved it once. Sakura was surprised to feel a thrum of energy from the wand after the movement, and it built up at the tip.

And then nothing.

Sakura blinked at the wand. She narrowed her eyes at it and started shaking it like it was a malfunctioning device. A form of chakra was present inside the wand, she could _feel_ it—but for some reason it didn’t want to come out.

“Hm. That’s odd. Usually there would be a reaction, at least.” The shopkeeper hummed and took out another wand from its box. “I suppose that wand just really doesn’t like you, eh? No matter. Try this Willow wand. Phoenix tail feather core instead, though I have another one here with unicorn hair, too.”

The pink-haired girl took it from him with another thanks and waved it, and then frowning when the wand did nothing again. She shook it a bit again, and then looked up at the shopkeeper in confusion.

“Is it supposed to do something when I do that?” She asked, looking at it bemusedly. “I mean, I could _feel_ energy trying to come out, but it just... won’t.”

“I daresay something _should_ happen. A few shattered vases, shelves getting knocked over—how strange. You’re probably the neatest customer I’ve had! And also the trickiest one. All right, let’s try this one: the unicorn hair this time.”

Sakura didn’t know how long they spent in that shop, but by the nineteenth wand, she started to get self-conscious. She realized by that time that it was unusual for people to take so long searching for a wand, and the troubled expression on the shopkeeper’s face was proof of it. Snape’s expression didn’t change from the beginning, but she could tell that he was already starting to become impatient.

What was wrong with her? Why couldn’t she find a wand?

“Like my old friend Garrick always says: _curious_. Quite curious!”

Sakura gave back the last wand she used and watched as the shopkeeper vanished the boxes that had piled and littered the counter. She looked up at him and asked, “I take it this doesn’t happen very often, sir?”

“Not like this. Usually the most difficult customers go through ten or even fifteen wands before they find their perfect match— _not half the entire store_.” He answered, sounding quite breathless. He gave her an appraising look before saying, “I’m afraid I have no idea what could possibly be wrong, Ms. Haruno. There seems to be _no_ wand here meant for you.”

Snape’s brows furrowed at that. “Is that even possible? Surely she should have been compatible with at least _one_ wand.”

“I admit, I find that unlikely as well, but from what I’ve seen, Ms. Haruno can’t bond with the wands I have.” He replied. And then he let out a laugh, “In fact, it seems the wands themselves don’t want to bond with _you_. How strange!

“But do try not to let this get to you, Ms. Haruno. I’ll owl my friend Garrick—he’s the owner of the original store in Diagon Alley—and ask him what could be wrong. Surely he should have an idea. I’ll have to ask you to come back again, or maybe you should visit _his_ store next time. I’m terribly sorry about today, however.”

Sakura forced a smile on her face and bowed. “That’s all right. Thank you so much for your help, sir.”

“Not to worry. I’ll be sure to contact you as soon as Garrick answers. Would an owl to the Headmaster be suffice, Severus?”

“It would. Thank you again, Mr. Cattlecoff.”

“Thank you again, sir!”

“My pleasure, Ms. Haruno. I’ll be sure to inform you when my associate replies to my owl.”

They left the shop with Sakura feeling a little disappointed at the outcome—she didn’t really _need_ that wand, but she admitted that having one would have been pretty cool. Realizing that a wand, a supposedly _inanimate_ object, didn’t want to bond with her also dampened her mood quite a bit. Snape had told her that he’d be speaking with the Headmaster about it, and she thanked him for that. But it was probably safe to say that Sakura might not be able to use a wand at all.

Unless... she _didn’t_ need one?

She looked at her hand thoughtfully and frowned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes:
> 
> (1) - English is my second language, so a lot of Sakura's observations are from personal experience lmao.  
> (2) - There is an Ollivanders branch in Hogsmeade which is run by an associate of Garrick Ollivander, the shopkeeper at Diagon Alley. The associate didn’t have a name, so I decided to christen him with a random one. Don’t mind it. :P


	4. Chapter 4

A month had passed since Sakura first arrived at Hogwarts, and she thought that she was adapting pretty well. She learned a new language, memorized hundreds of student medical profiles, and experienced doing things the “wizard” way. There were still a few things that confused her, like why some words didn’t follow the same grammar rules and wizarding culture in general, but she realized that the best way to get used to those would be prolonged exposure and further study.

If Sakura wanted to be honest, however, the language and culture of the locals weren’t what she was interested in studying right now.

She sighed and leaned back in her chair, putting distance between her and the book she was currently investing her time on. It was an intermediate textbook on magic theory, used primarily by those interested to experiment with spells or even make their own. Sakura had no interest in making spells, but she _did_ want to cast them.

It seemed like a faraway dream, though, since no wand was even willing to bond with her.

Sakura closed the book on magic theory and reached out for a thinner tome on wandlore. She turned the pages to where the book explained wand cores. The book explained that the magical core of the wand is inserted into carved wand-quality wood via magic, enhancing whatever magical properties the wood already possessed if it ever had any. Magical cores are harvested from live creatures that possess some form of magical ability, like dragons, unicorns and phoenixes. The book mentioned that some wands have cores collected from sentient creatures too, like Veela.

It made her think: can a magical core be made from a human being? She cringed at the thought of someone harvesting cores from a _human_ to create a wand. Only someone insane would do that, surely!

But then again...

The kunoichi looked down at her hand again and frowned thoughtfully. She looked back on her first day at Hogwarts, when Severus Snape got rid of the soot on her body using a spell. She theorized that magic was chakra without the physical energy, so a medium was necessary in order to bring it out. Sakura had trained both her spiritual and physical energies together, so in a way, both her core _and_ body possessed some form of magical potential.

Like a wand.

She waved her finger the same way she observed Snape would when vanishing unsatisfactory potions from his cauldrons. The pink-haired girl furrowed her brows in deep thought—say her theory was sound, how was she going to test it? And speaking of the grumpy Potions Master, she wondered if the grumpy man wanted more help with his potions—

She was interrupted by someone rapping on her door. The kunoichi put the book back among the tall stacks on her desk before bounding for the door.

“Coming!” She turned the knob and peeked through the gap. She blinked. “Professor McGonagall?”

The stern-looking professor smiled thinly before nodding. “Good morning, Ms. Haruno. I hope I’m not interrupting anything important?”

“Oh, not at all!” Sakura smiled sheepishly, opening the door wider so that the woman could see the large piles of books on her desk. If McGonagall was shocked, she didn’t show it. “I was just doing a bit of light reading. A lot of concepts involving magic are very intriguing, and they might help me understand your world a bit more.”

At that, McGonagall couldn’t help but smile approvingly. “It’s good that you’re taking your work seriously, Ms. Haruno. I daresay that I didn’t expect such maturity from someone your age, but I can see now that I was mistaken. Please keep up the good work.”

“O-Oh, yeah. I’ll do my best! Hah, hah!” The kunoichi laughed somewhat forcefully. Her sudden interest in magic theory sprung from more selfish reasons, but McGonagall didn’t need to know that. If the Transfigurations professor thought she was researching wizarding medical techniques, who was Sakura to contradict her? “Did you need any help, professor? I’m assuming you visited me for a reason.”

“Ah, yes.” And just like that, McGonagall’s professionalism reared its stern head again. Sakura tried not to grin. “Professor Dumbledore would like me to inform you that your former instructor is here to collect your monthly report.”

“Huh?” The girl’s humor left almost immediately, and she blinked owlishly at the older woman. Then her eyes lit up as realization dawned. “Ah, yes! Professor Dumbledore told me last week. I can’t believe I forgot about it!”

McGonagall blinked. “You _forgot_ about it?”

“Yeah,” She groused. Her research on magical theory had distracted her, and she was a bit ashamed that she let herself get carried away. “I finished the report, but I completely forgot that my _sensei_ was arriving today. Hold on—“

“He is at the library,” McGonagall began as Sakura went back inside her room and sorted through discarded papers for her report. The old woman stepped in the room and crinkled her nose at the disheveled state of the girl’s quarters. “Professor Snape was the one who fetched him this morning to meet the headmaster. Professor Dumbledore offered to give your teacher a brief tour, but he declined and said he would wait for you at the library.”

“At the library? That’s weird.” Sakura commented. She found the scroll she was looking for and beamed, waving it briefly in victory. Tucking it in one of her pockets, the girl walked over to McGonagall. “Okay, I got it. Thank you for waiting, professor!”

“...It was no trouble,” the old woman said. She nodded curtly before walking out of Sakura’s room. “I have to prepare for the school year, so I best be on my way. I trust you can find your former instructor by yourself?”

“Of course! I’m sure you’re very busy, Professor McGonagall.” Sakura smiled and bowed her head once. She trotted out of her room and waved at the older woman. “Thanks again, professor!”

Frowning contemplatively, McGonagall watched as the pink-haired girl turned at the corner. She shook her head and went down the opposite end towards her office. As much as she wanted to treat her temporary coworker fairly, it was difficult to do so when she showed her age like that.

 _‘Children should be children,’_ she thought sullenly. Her thoughts then centered on a certain Gryffindor who attracted trouble no matter where he went, and she sighed.

McGonagall vanished all thoughts on the pink-haired girl as she entered her office. There were letters to sort through.

 

* * *

 

“Kakashi-sensei!”

The white-haired jōnin didn’t have to look up from _Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century_ to know who it was that called out to him. He closed the book and adjusted his headband before turning to smile at the pink-haired girl bounding over to him.

“Sakura,” he greeted with a fond lilt to his voice. “It’s good to see you. I take it that you’re adjusting well to this place?”

“Yes, sensei. I’m doing pretty well. I’ve learned quite a lot of things over the past few weeks! It’s incredible.” she said, gushing a bit.

Kakashi noticed her good mood and smiled behind his mask, his visible eye closing. “I’m glad. If anyone’s suited for this mission, it’s you. You’ve come a long way since your first Chūnin Exam, and I’m very proud of you.”

“Ah, sensei, what’s with all the embarrassing words?!”

“Hey now, what’s so embarrassing about the truth?”

“It’s embarrassing when you say it like _that_ , Kakashi-sensei!”

“You wound me, Sakura. I’m starting to think you’re not happy to see me.”  

“Shut up!” She grinned. Admittedly, she was just happy to see someone from Konoha again, so she didn’t contradict her sensei. She hadn’t been able to say goodbye to him either, so she was feeling pretty happy today. “It’s good to see you, Kakashi-sensei. Actually, I kinda forgot that you were supposed to be arriving today.”

That caught his interest. “Oh? Were you busy doing something?”

“Something like that.” she replied vaguely, smiling. Then she perked up suddenly and fished a scroll out of her pocket. “Oh, here! My first report. I don’t want to keep you here longer than you need to be.”

“It’s no problem, Sakura.” Kakashi took the scroll and pocketed it. He looked around the library and said, “But my, my, what an impressive library, eh? You must have had a seizure when you saw it.”

“Isn’t it?!” The kunoichi grinned and spread her arms wide. “I’ve learned a lot of _fascinating_ things, sensei! Magic is something else, even though it’s a weaker form of chakra. I’m actually interested in learning some of it. They might come in handy someday.”

The jōnin blinked before looking skeptical. “I understand that it’s different, but you can’t possibly think it’s more useful than jutsu? From what little I’ve read while waiting for you, most magic spells seem engineered to perform a specific task. And shinobi value versatility.”

“That’s true,” Sakura conceded, looking at her hands. She clenched them and looked at her former instructor in determination. “But I think it’s still fascinating! And there _are_ versatile spells, sensei. You just weren’t looking hard enough!”

“Is that so?” Kakashi hummed and stroked his mask-covered chin.

“That’s right!” Sakura nodded confidently. Her eyes lit up suddenly. “Hey! Do you want a tour of the castle? That is, if you’re not supposed to report back to Hokage-sama?”

Kakashi blinked before smiling down at his former student. “I’m not very interested in the castle, but I’m curious about that village I appeared in after using that strange teleportation device. I never got to look around because of that unfriendly man your employer sent to get me.”

“Ah, that must be Snape!” Sakura scrunched up her nose. “He’s really grumpy and mean, though I guess he’s okay if he’s too busy brewing to insult you. That strange teleportation device you mentioned is called a _Portkey_ , and it’s interesting how...”

Kakashi listened as his former student started rambling. He smiled and realized that the girl must have felt lonely if she was being so talkative, so he didn’t say anything about it. Sakura didn’t even notice him signal to his right, and a small, four-legged blur passed behind them. He casually pocketed the scroll that had been deposited in his hand, all the while nodding to everything the pink-haired kunoichi said.

 

* * *

 

“...and _no_ wand wanted to bond with me! It was really embarrassing; I must have tried all the wands in that store!” Sakura said, pointing at the Ollivander’s shop that she had visited a few weeks ago. “I still haven’t received word about it, though I think it’s because they’re all busy with new students coming in and all.”

“That _is_ interesting,” Kakashi commented, making a waving motion with his hand, as if he himself was holding a wand. “So in order to make use of their magical cores without training their physical bodies, wizards use mediums to channel the energy instead. But it’s curious that these mediums would have their own cores, too.”

The pink-haired girl blinked up at the jōnin. “What do you mean?”

“I mean,” he began. “That wizards need a medium with its own magical core to harness the power of their own. Don’t you think that’s strange? Why would they need a conduit with its own core if they have a perfectly good one already? That strongly suggests that their spiritual energies aren’t developed enough to be used with just an empty medium.”

Sakura’s eyes widened. “That makes sense, I suppose. And if someone had a magical core that was _too_ developed—“

“It might clash with the wand’s developed core, and the wand will reject it. It’s like expecting a wand to bond with another wand.”

“I see.” Sakura couldn’t help but be relieved. She might have been right about her body being similar to a wand all along, and hearing her sensei make a similar conclusion gave her a bit of hope. “Do you think that’s what happened to me? Why a wand didn’t want to bond with me?”

“Perhaps,” Kakashi replied vaguely before shrugging with his hands in the air. “Well, it doesn’t really matter what the truth is. It’s all just theory. And magic seems more troublesome than it is useful.”

Sakura thought that her sensei looked very much like a Nara in that moment. “Really? How come?”

“Well, from what I’ve observed, wizards have become used to the idea of depending on a medium to harness their own potential. If you take that medium away from them in a fight, they’re done for.” Kakashi pointed out. “It’s what happens to most shinobi who are too specialized and rely too much on one kind of style. The only exceptions are those who are _extremely_ good at that style, like your friend Lee, but even he had a close call during your first exams. It’s always better to have a diverse skill set. It ensures higher chances of survival.”  

The pink-haired girl nodded at that. While she was fascinated with the thought of magic, the wizards’ reliance on wands was more of a disadvantage than anything else. True, the spells she had read up would be extremely useful in battle, like protection spells and hexes, but most wizards needed wands to do any of those. Take those wands away, and they’re almost as powerless as civilians.

...Sakura still wanted to learn magic, though. It wouldn’t hurt to be able to use chakra _and_ wizard magic, after all. It would give Konoha an edge, she was sure!

Kakashi sensed the girl’s stubbornness and smiled wryly. Trust Sakura to obsess over something so passionately, even it was something as inconsequential as magic. She had that large crush on Sasuke, after all. The thought of the last Uchiha sobered him completely, and he sighed.

That crush hindered Sakura’s ability to concentrate, too. He hoped that the girl wouldn’t make the same mistake this time around.

“Try not to get sidetracked, Sakura.” he began after a moment of silence. At the girl’s questioning gaze, he added, “I understand that magic is new and fascinating, but don’t let it distract you. This is your first mission as a chūnin—one that the Hokage herself entrusted to you. It would reflect badly on the village if something went wrong because you weren’t taking your mission seriously.”

Sakura felt a bit indignant at the accusation. “I _am_ taking it seriously, sensei, and I know what’s at stake. There aren’t students yet anyway, so I thought—“

“I’m not criticizing your desire to gather information. That’s a good idea, and one of the first things a shinobi should do in any situation.” Kakashi interjected gently, but firmly. “But you’re here to heal the wounded, not lose yourself in possibilities. I’m sure whatever you bring back to Konoha will be useful, but that’s _not_ your mission. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sensei.” Sakura nodded, still a bit miffed. The jōnin had a very good point, but she knew what she was doing. She just had a bit of free time before the start of the school year next week, so she thought she could do a little research. Perhaps she had let herself get carried away.

She gasped when her hair was suddenly ruffled, and she blinked at Kakashi before scowling. “ _Sensei_ —“

“Good luck, Sakura. I know you can do it.” he said, smiling down at her. “You’ve come a long way since you first started training under the Godaime, and as your former teacher, I’m very proud of you. I only wish I could have done something for you while you were still under my tutelage.”

“Sensei,” Sakura began, uncomfortable with the sad look Kakashi was giving her. It didn’t feel right, seeing him that way.

“I know, I know. Past is past.” He drew his hand back, opening one of the pockets in his vest. He pulled out a thin scroll and handed it to his former student. “Here. It’s a scroll with a special seal inside. If you’re ever in trouble, just put a bit of chakra onto the seal. It’ll alert me and the Hokage through another seal, and I’ll come as quickly as I can.”

She blinked at the scroll in her hand, then looked up at the jōnin curiously. “You think I’m going to need this?”

“It won’t hurt to be prepared. And the Hokage wants to ensure that you’re not entirely alone out here, even though this is technically a solo mission.” The way he said it made Sakura believe that there was more to it than that. “A shinobi must always put the mission first, but if the mission isn’t what it seems, we have the right to revoke the contract. I don’t have to remind you why we’re taking extra precautions this time around.”

Sakura nodded. Her team’s first mission to the Land of Waves became rather famous (or _infamous_ ), and because of that clients hiring shinobi for work outside the village were held under more scrutiny than before. Dumbledore didn’t seem like the type to keep important secrets that would endanger her, but then again, old man Tazuna gave off the same vibe too.

“I understand.” Sakura nodded seriously at her former instructor, showing that she took his words seriously. Then she beamed at him and made a victory pose. “Don’t worry, sensei! You can count on me! I won’t let you down.”

Kakashi smiled at Sakura and nodded, ruffling her hair one last time. “I know you won’t.”

 

* * *

 

“That _Kakashi_ fellow was your former teacher, was he?”

Sakura smiled at Professor Flitwick and nodded, swallowing her food before replying. “Yes. He was assigned to lead my team after we graduated from the Academy. He supplemented what we already knew with more techniques and skills, as well as lessons in tactics.”

“My, techniques and tactics! That’s rather heavy for children to be learning.”

“Not at all. His lessons came in handy for a lot of our missions. He even saved our lives more than once.”

“Goodness! Are the Elemental Countries really that dangerous?”

“I still can’t believe you let _children_ become soldiers. You should be worried about exams and relationships, not survival!”

The pink-haired girl just smiled at the Astronomy professor, careful not to betray anything. She had already decided not to change their views on her “barbaric” culture, but that didn’t mean she was no longer annoyed by it. Finishing her meal and wiping her mouth with a napkin, she pushed her chair back and stood up. “Thank you for the meal, but I should get back to my studies. I need to learn as much as I can before the school year starts.”

“You’ve been studying non-stop since you got here, Ms. Haruno,” McGonagall noted, raising an eyebrow at her. “Are you sure you’re not overworking yourself?”

“It’s her job to be as efficient and knowledgeable as possible, Minerva.” A drawl to her right made Sakura stiffen slightly. “That is, if she _wants_ to do a good job and get paid.”

Without looking directly at Severus Snape, Sakura bowed her head in his direction. “Yes, I do. Good night, everyone!”

She exited the Great Hall, ignoring the gazes following her. She felt two particular gazes the most, and she did her best not to react until she was out of sight. Sakura looked over her shoulder before quickly heading towards her room, thinking about her meeting with Kakashi-sensei all the while.

Before her sensei’s timed portkey took him back to Fire Country, Kakashi told her something that made her uneasy.

_“Sakura,” Kakashi began as they neared the near-empty pub where he appeared._

_“Yes, sensei?” she prompted, clasping her hands behind her back as she kicked some stones._

_“Before I go, I just want to ask,” He paused, looking around the area. There were wizards and witches out doing some shopping, but none of them paid the two shinobi any attention. When they reached a secluded part of the village, he continued, “Did you notice anything strange about your employer and your coworker?”_

_“You mean Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape?” she queried. At his nod, she furrowed her brows as she pondered the question. “Well, I guess the old man is a bit weird. He’s got a huge sweet tooth, and he speaks vaguely sometimes. Snape is just a huge jerk!”_

_Kakashi smiled briefly at her answer before saying, “Aside from that, did you sense anything amiss?”_

_“Well,” Sakura scratched her cheek as she thought about it more. She looked up at her former instructor uncertainly. “I get this really strange vibe from the headmaster. Like he’s... hiding something. And also, from the first time we met, his eyes have weirded me out. They twinkle and they... feel something similar to genjutsu.”_

_“Very good.” Kakashi praised, and she preened a bit at that. She sobered immediately when she realized that the jōnin looked rather grave. “I sensed it from this Snape when I first met him, too. This strange genjutsu technique they share was why I declined the tour Dumbledore-san offered. I didn’t want to be anywhere near a technique like that without being able to study it first.”_

_“Did you find out anything?” Sakura asked._

_“Not much. All I know is that their technique can only work if you look into their eyes. Be careful.”_

Kakashi left after that, and since then Sakura felt both lonely and uneasy. She missed her old teacher more than she had realized, and now he left giving her something to be paranoid about. Oh, well. She supposed she just had to be more careful.

She was about to turn a corner when she almost bumped into... a large eyeball? She screamed and launched back, crouched and hand hovering above her kunai holster. When she realized who it was, she relaxed, though she still kept a wary eye on the limping man.

“Professor Moody,” she greeted politely.

“Daft girl! What do you think you’re doing, screaming in my face like that?” the ex-Auror barked before taking a quick swig from his flask. Whatever he drank, it must have been awful, because he shook his head and shuddered.

Sakura barely managed to stop herself from scrunching her nose. “I apologize, sir. I admit I wasn’t paying much attention to my surroundings, so you took me by surprise.”

“Not an excuse, girl! There’s no telling what’s lurking beyond every corner. _Constant vigilance_!” he barked again, pointing at his eye and invading the pink-haired girl’s space.

She forced a smile on her face and nodded. “Uh, yeah, sure. I apologize. I’ll be more... vigilant next time. _Constantly_.”

He scowled at her, and his magical eye rolled around. Sakura smiled once more before side-stepping the man and walking away, intent on getting away from the ex-Auror as quickly as possible. She frowned as she felt his eyes (or was it just that magical one?) on her, and she suppressed a shudder.

Constant vigilance. Yeah, that sounded like good advice... even if it came from a weirdo like Alastor Moody.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter _should_ be the first day of school. Or whatever. I still dunno what I'm doing HAHAHAHA but thanks so far to those who've read, given kudos and dropped a comment :) I appreciate it!


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